


wake me up the time is now

by Anonymous



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Barbara Gordon is Agent 36, Batfamily (DCU), Dick Grayson is a Talon, Dimension Travel, Evil!Mar'i Grayson, Fighting, Gen, Harper Row is Blue Arrow, Jason Todd is Dumas, Magic, Mar'i Grayson is Nightfire, Multi, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Teen Titans - Freeform, Tim Drake is Red X, Titans, Violence, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000, ish, one of them i cant remember
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25620220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: I once (or a dozen times) read The Bat’s Crest. And tried to write something inspired by it with a friend. It ended badly. But here, have a snapshot from it.
Relationships: Batfamily - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51
Collections: Fanfic Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Bat's Crest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937086) by [livierambles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/livierambles/pseuds/livierambles). 



“This isn’t working!” Garth yelled, arms raised to form a dome of water around them. With a grunt of effort, his tattoo’s glowing on his arms, he froze the liquid, supporting it around them. “We need a new plan.”

“We don’t have one,” Kon replied grimly, pushing himself up, and glaring at the tear in his shirt, the edges of it burnt and frayed. “I hate Tarmarans.”

Above them, the ice started to crack and melt, and Garth grunted with effort. “Where’s Raven?”

Kon shrugged. “No idea.”

Someone tapped the clone on the shoulder, and he whirled around, expecting a concerned citizen at the least, or another threat at the most. It looked like he got the former. A small Asian girl, with ear-length black hair, a leather jacket, and leggings, stood there, silently looking up at him.

“I help,” she said simply. Above them, the ice shattered, and Garth cried out, jumping out of the way as Nightfire crashed into the ground, courtesy of Cassie. The girl didn’t even flinch.

“Sorry boys.” the demigod said, floating above them. “But she was starting to piss me off.”

Nightfire growled, the teenager starting to push herself up to her feet. “You think you can defeat me? I am Nightfire, daughter of Starfire—”

The Asian girl punched her in the gut. Kon blinked, wondering how the girl had gotten there without anyone noticing, and then wondered what the hell she was doing because Tarmarans were tough. Not as tough as Amazons or Kryptonians, but they were strong and durable.

Nightfire grunted with the force, doubling over, and the girl slugged her across the cheek, form perfect. Then, she grabbed the aliens head in both hands and introduced it to her knee.

“What the fuck?” Jamie demanded as the remains of the dome dropped, melting back to puddles of water. “Who is this?”

The girl let Nightfire recover enough to look up at her. The alien sneered. “You dare?”

The girl nodded once, and Nightfire screamed, hands glowing with literal power. The girl ducked the first star bolt, and cartwheeled to the side, grabbing a rock from the ground as she went. On her landing, she drew her arm back, and pitched it at Nightfire, getting her in the temple.

“Okay, what?” Cassie asked, landing beside Kon and Garth. “Who is that?”

“No idea,” Kon replied, and they all watched in a sort of stunned silence as the girl danced around Nightfire, moving in a circle, spiralling away, and throwing rocks she picked up at the girl. “But I think I like her.”

That was when there was a yell. The girl ducked, covering her neck, and a boy, even younger than her, jumped off her like she was a springboard, and flipped, slashing his sword through the air at Nightfire.

The Tarmaran lunged back into the air, barely avoiding the slightly curved weapon. A katana, Kon assumed. Then, the woman sneered and fired off a bolt of energy. The boy deflected it with his sword, dissipating the attack.

Both he and the girl started to jump around like before, using cartwheels and flips to spring around Nightfire, not letting her hit them. The girl, Kon realized, had ballet slippers on, and kept on adding dance moves into her motions. A leap through the air in the splits. A series of spinning jumps. 

The boy, on the other hand, used his sword to deflect several blows, relying on more techniques than what the girl was relying on, which seemed to be talent or instinct. The two of them worked together, keeping the alien off her feet.

“We should probably help.” Garth realized dully.

“They’re doing alright.” Kon pointed out, as the girl cartwheeled away, with a cheerful _Wheee!_ sound effect. She tossed another rock at Nightstar, and the woman screamed in frustration, blasting at the girl.

Who did another cartwheel away. “Slow.”

The boy lunged at Nightstar’s unprotected back, his sword above him, held in both hands, yelling a war cry. Nightstar whirled, and one hand shot out, glowing with power. The boy screamed, falling to the ground, and stumbling back, a hand over his ribcage. Taking advantage of the distraction, the girl lunged at Nightstar, and jabbed her in several places, within the span of a few seconds.

The alien collapsed, and the girl headed for the boy, without hesitating, her face showing her fury. The Titans started forwards as well, but when she snarled at them, froze, uncertain.

“Damian!”

The yell came from a man wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans. He came running down the street, skidding to a stop by the two kids. The girl let out a noise, and the man gently lifted the boy.

“Wait,” Cassie said, stepping forwards, pushing Kon aside. “That’s al Ghul. The assassin that keeps trying to murder the team.”

“Oh shit.”

“C’mon Dami.” the man said, lifting the boy into his lap, and glancing at the girl. “Get his katana.”

She darted away, returning with the weapon. Scorch marks marred the shiny surface, and she took something off the boy, attaching it to her hip. She sheathed the sword there and looked at the man in horror as he tugged part of the boy's clothing aside, revealing a scorch mark. The boy groaned.

Cassie growled, and rose into the air, drawing her lasso. The trio looked up at her. The girl’s hand moved to the hilt of the katana, but the man grabbed her wrist. “No.”

She stared at him for a moment, and then Cassie threw the lasso, wrapping it around the pair, yanking them together. “Not going anywhere.”

The girl shrugged, and the man sighed. “Fucking fuck, where’s Red?”

The girl lifted one hand, barely able to move it in the lasso, pointing towards the tower. The man sighed. “You guys are far too fucking stupid.”

The girl smiled.

“Where’s Raven?” Jamie asked, looking around. “Shouldn’t she be here?”

“One of her magic alerts went off,” Vic replied, studying the group of restrained criminals—if Damian al Ghul was there, and a man in League of Assassins gear, then the girl was probably one of them as well. “Said she’d check it and come back if she could.”

“Shit.” the man said flatly. It wasn’t a surprised shit, more like an ‘oh, okay, that happened’ kind of shit. Not pathetic, but accepting. He looked up at Cassie. “Fuck off.”

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Somebody.”

“What’s your name?”

“Dumas.”

Cassie scowled. “What’s your purpose here?”

“Um… not dying would be nice, been there, done that.”

The girl snorted. She looked slightly sad, mostly bored, restrained by the lasso. She leaned her head against Dumas and closed her eyes. Cassie gritted her teeth. “You’re coming with us.”

“Yep. Okay. Whatever you say.”

“He’s trying to goad you,” Garth warned. “Tie Nightfire up, the rest of us have got these guys.”

“Nightfire?” Dumas asked as Cassie started to unwind the lasso from around him and the girl. “Isn’t that like, Starfire’s kid? The one that was a clone-slash-unwilling pregnancy thing?”

The girl nodded.

“Fuck.”

“Fuck is right.” Kon agreed, taking Dumas from Jamie after the boy had locked a pair of handcuffs his suit made around the man’s wrists. “Now shut up.”

“God, you’re an asshole here, aren’t you?”

Kon jabbed a finger into the man's back, pushing in hard. “Shut up.”


	2. Chapter 2

Raven landed on one of the balconies of the upper floors. She hovered, her aura of violet light softly humming around her as she glided through the tower. Her wards were just general ones, ever since Tim had entered through one of the upper windows instead of the main door because he was crazy.

(He’d subsequently woken everyone up when he’d been thrown out of the building by her spells. Not wanting a repeat, she’d changed them to be alerts instead. Except for the ones against her father—she’d reinforced those.)

The alarm’s tripped left a trail through the tower that she followed, all the way to one of the bedrooms. One of the bedrooms nobody had been in for months, not since Tim had left.

She pushed open the door and started to enter, only to receive a foot to the chest, sending her flying into the opposite wall.

Red X stood in the hallway, glaring down at her. He wore black, with a white mask over his face, shaped like some kind of skull, a red x on top of it. Grey gloves and a belt of pouches contained weapons, she knew, and his cape was armoured. Blackfire’s attacks had only burned the material, not hurt the boy underneath.

“Tim,” Raven called, pushing herself up. She’d always felt a connection with the boy. His parents were crappy like hers had been. “Don’t do this.”

“Stay out of this Rachel,” Tim warned, his voice echoing strangely through the helmet. Not a single strand of hair or patch of skin was showing, and she reached out mentally, only to be sent flying back out of his mind, with a mental scream of protest.

“You can’t beat me,” she warned him, and he lunged at her, fist raised. She brought up a hand, a shield forming before her fingers, but his other hand went around the small circle of magic, gripping her wrist. An object clicked around her wrist, and she cried out as it pricked her wrist.

“That’s an inhibitor,” he warned, still holding her wrist, his grip firm, but not hurting her. The pain of the device was already fading. “No magic until you can get it off, and only Kon or Cassie have a chance of getting it off unless you can convince me to do it instead.”

Raven gritted her teeth, and threw herself at Tim, fist raised. He ducked to the side, easily. She grunted, throwing another punch at him. “What the hell happened to you, Tim?”

He flipped backwards, into a pair of handsprings, and landed at the start of the hall, where it met the living room, balancing in a neat crouch. “I can honestly say that I have no idea.”

With her abilities blocked—how the hell had he managed to do that?—Raven was at a disadvantage. A big one. Tim had never had powers. He was human, through and through, trained by Slade Wilson of all people, after he’d figured out who the man’s daughter was before the man himself had. He’d been able to beat Kon in sparring before the entire mess had started, and the rest of them as well.

Still. He could block her from creating anything new, but her wards were still up, and that meant he couldn’t leave—a condition of her spells. So all she had to do was stay alive, and stall him. 

He rolled away from her kick, and up to his feet, hands before him in fists. “You haven’t improved much, Rachel.”

He always called her Rachel. Called everyone by their given names. Kon was always Kon, Cassie was always Cassie, Jamie Jamie and Garth was Garth. She’d been Rachel unless they were in the field. Then, he was all business.

“I’ve improved enough.” she retorted and started a group of attacks Flamebird had given her to practice. She’d never seen the appeal of hand-to-hand combat when she could use magic, but Tim had always asked her to help him spar. She’d always lost, when she didn’t use powers, and even when she had powers, he could beat her at least half the time.

But he blocked the first punch, batting it away to the side, caught the second in his fist. She moved to kick him, and he dropped into a crouch, pulling her arm down slightly as well, throwing her balance off, and kicked her foot off the ground. He didn’t pin her or anything, just let go and stepped back.

“You’re telegraphing, Rachel. And what did I say about haymakers?”

Raven grunted and pushed herself back up. Her hood had fallen off, revealing the scar on her forehead, where the crystal had once been. She glared at her former friend. The boy who’d practically been a brother to her. “They’re not useful against someone who’s trained right.”

“Exactly. So easy to block, did you really forget?”

Rachel feinted with another punch, trying to get a kick in, but he predicted it, flipping backwards in a handspring, and then attacking her. He slid on his knees and swept her feet from under her again.

“Feet are too close together,” he informed her, waiting for her to stand up again. “Shit balance.”

“Are you seriously giving me advice on how to beat you?”

“Nope,” Tim said, and spun, releasing a high back kick, that she narrowly avoided. He continued the turn, following up with a roundhouse to her ribs that she didn’t avoid. She hit the chesterfield, coughing. “I’m giving you advice on how to actually stall me.”

Rachel pushed herself up, eyes narrowing at Tim. “If you know I’m stalling, why aren’t you trying to leave?”

“Honestly? A gut feeling. Or maybe I just want to talk.”

“Oh shut up.”

She threw herself at him, grabbing him around the waist, and slamming into the ground. He pulled his legs up and wrapped them around her torso. Wrenching her to the side, he slammed her into the ground, leaving him free.

Tim rolled away, up to his feet. Rachel wheezed for air, expecting him to hit again, but he didn’t. Instead, he just stood there, waiting.

“What the hell Tim.” she gagged, rolling onto her stomach. “How could you have even left?”

“Some things are important Rachel.”

“So you became an assassin?”

He had his arms crossed. A self-hug. Rachel wasn’t good at reading body language, not like Tim could, being trained by Deathstroke and all. But she knew enough to realize he wasn’t exactly comfortable in his situation.

“Things aren’t that simple.”

“So make them simple Tim.” Rachel said. “You nearly killed Kon. You practically destroyed Kom’s mind, and put Cassie in a near-coma!”

“Yeah,” Tim said, taking a step back as she stood up. “What did I do to you, Rachel? And Jamie? And Garth? Tell me that.”

She grunted, throwing another set of attacks at him. He blocked the first one, ducking and grabbing her leg at the knee, and standing straight, pulling her with him. Rachel hit the ground, again. 

“You’re Slade's son.” she hissed up at him. “Mind games are your thing, you asshole. You know what you did to me. What you did to Jamie and Garth. You practically let Vic murder Jamie! Garth had to stop his heart to save him!”

“But you made it out,” Tim said, voice flat. “Didn’t you? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I didn’t want to kill you? Maybe my hands are tied? No, it didn’t, did it? You think you’re so smart Rachel, all of you do, so smart and so strong. But I took all of you out, just a regular human. What does that say about this world? You underestimated me, and you know what?”

He knelt beside her, picking up her hand, the one with the inhibitor on. He held it before her face, so she could see it. On the black fabric of her uniform, the silver bracelet almost looked pretty. It was thick, like some kind of digital watch or handcuff, clipped neatly around her arm, smooth and flawless.

“I think you’re still underestimating me.”

* * *

Tim felt sick. Whoever Draken was, it was clear he was a lot like Tim. He hadn’t betrayed his team for Ra’s. He was playing the man, just like Tim had done back home. And Draken, trained by Slade, hadn’t held back nearly as much as Tim had. He’d played mind games with the Titans, broken Kon and Cassie, practically made Garth kill Vic just so Jamie stayed alive.

It was horrifying, playing the part. The memories of his attack on his team were fresh in his mind once more, and he was at the end of his rope. He barely had anything to hold onto anymore, and if the news coming through his comm was any indication, the things that he had left weren’t going to be of any help anytime soon.

He couldn’t leave. Other Tim’s notes had made it clear, the only reason he’d managed to get out of the tower the first time, was because Rachel had been hopeful, thinking that it was just a trick, and had left her spells unchanged, letting Other Tim enter unnoticed, and leave unhindered.


	3. Chapter 3

“I think you should shut up!”

The yell came with barely any warning, and Rachel tensed, pressing herself into the ground. Tim’s head shot up, and he dropped her wrist, throwing himself up and into the air. Rachel blinked in surprise.

Kon had been flying right for Tim, full force, fist back, ready to hit him. But Tim had somehow jumped, like a pole vaulter or something, arching his entire body into a ‘C’ shape. Kon zipped past under him, and Tim’s hand’s hit the ground. The former vigilante flipped back down to his feet, one hand on the ground, in a battle crouch.

“Hi Kon.”

“Don’t call me that!” Kon shouted, from where he’d crashed through the wall, into the kitchen. Tim gave Rachel a small wave.

“Bye.”

He turned and started to run for the bedroom hall. Only for Cassie to appear there instead, blocking his path, her fists clenched, head held high. “No way.”

Tim jumped, and twisted in the air, kicking out with one foot. He slammed his heel into Cassie’s throat, sending her back, and landing. He swept her legs out from under her, and instantly turned, blocking Garth’s attack.

He grabbed the Atlantian by the wrist, and brought his other arm up above the teenager’s elbow, and slammed down. Garth screamed in pain as his bone snapped, and Tim followed up with a firm kick to the side, sending him to the ground.

He didn’t even stop, flipping out of Vic’s way, ducking behind the couch. Vic blasted the furniture to nothing, and Tim’s hands came forwards as he rose, shurikens flying from his fingers. Vic lunged out of the way, and Tim spun, releasing another pair, throwing both of them with the same hand. They caught the cyborg in the chest, and sparked, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

“Enough!” Kon yelled as Tim annihilated Jamie in a few seconds flat. “This ends now!”

Tim spun out of the way of the punch, and his fingers wrapped around Kon’s wrist. He used the clone’s momentum against him, sending him flying out the window. Rachel recognized the move from the lessons Tim had given her. It was from aikido, a defensive art, the only one that Kon said anyone should use against someone with superstrength.

That was probably why it had stuck with her above everything else she’d been taught.

“Cassie!” Rachel shouted, as Tim jumped off Jamie’s chest, into a back tuck, and landed lightly on the glass coffee table. He jumped backwards, hands grabbing one of the backs of the chairs, and pushing off as Jamie tried to slash at him.

The demigod appeared beside her in a burst of speed. “Yeah? What is it?”

Rachel held her arm up. “Break it.”

Cassie blinked. “Your arm?”

Rachel sighed. “The bracelet!”

“Oh!”

* * *

Tim cartwheeled away from Kon’s attack and released a throwing star. It flew true, catching Kon in the eye, and then, before he could throw another, a barrier of dark purple surrounded him.

“Shit.”

Rachel stepped forwards, hovering before him, hands stretched out. All around Tim was a bubble of magic, pinning him against the wall. She frowned, and crossed her hands at the wrists, then lifted them together, fingers splayed. A gesture he remembered. A sort of mute spell.

“We don’t need him psychoanalyzing us.”

“No,” Tim muttered, stepping forwards. He sunk a fist into the barrier, but it did nothing. “No!”

His gaze landed on Vic, who was speaking, Jamie helping the cyborg up. “We put the others in the holding cells and separated them. The boy’ll be fine, he can get medical attention later.”

The boy. It had to be Damian.

Everything was crashing down. Everything. Tim screamed, and slammed his fist into the wall again, and then again, and again. The Titans looked at him curiously, and Tim let out another scream, ripping his helmet off, and throwing it at the barrier before he kicked it.

* * *

“He knows he can’t get out, right?” Garth asked, clutching his arm.

“Yes,” Raven replied, lifting her hood again, shrouding her face in shadow. She reached a hand forwards, towards Red X. The Red X helmet was on the floor, discarded, leaving Red X’s face exposed. His eyes were wild, his hair messy and slick with sweat, strands of it plastered against his face. “He’s not blocking his mind anymore. It’s… chaos.”

Red X screamed again, the barrier blocking his voice. He rammed his shoulder into the force field, bouncing back into the wall behind him. He kicked it again.

“He’s scared for someone,” Raven explained quietly. “He’s… holding back. He said as much. That he could have killed us, but that he didn’t. That it wasn’t that simple.”

Red X gave up on attacking his prison, pressing himself against the wall behind him, eyes wide, flitting between each Titan, quick and uncertain. Kon pressed his lips together and walked up to the barrier. “Can he hear me?”

“Yes.”

Kon slammed his fist against the barrier, with a margin of his power. Red X flinched, pressed harder against the wall, his chest heaving. “You’re not my brother! You’re not even my friend, you lost that the moment you joined them!”

If Red X had looked scared before, he looked furious after that, stepping up to Kon. He yelled something and slammed his fists against the barrier, again and again.

“Can we hear him?” Cassie requested, and Raven nodded. “Might as well let him answer.”

Red X’s voice filled the room, mid-rant.

“—no idea what I gave up!” he screamed, slamming his fist into the barrier. “You have no idea Kon, no idea what I’ve had to do to protect my family!”

“So tell us!” Kon yelled back, and Tim stumbled back in shock at being heard. He backed up, bumping back against the concrete wall once more, and sank to the ground, gloved fingers holding his hair back, knees up to his chest.

“I didn't—you don’t understand. You wouldn’t get it!”

“So tell us!”

“I can’t!” Tim screamed, voice raw, throwing himself back at the barrier, at Kon. His fingers spread flat on the surface like it was glass. “I can’t tell you because it would ruin everything we’ve tried to do! I didn’t want this! You don’t get it!”

He practically tore his throat open on the last word, forehead falling against the barrier. His body shook, and it took them a minute to realize that he was crying. Sobs shook his body, and the tears mixed with sweat.

“You don’t get it,” Tim whispered, only his temple resting on the barrier, throat tight with emotion. “I have to protect my family.”

“We were your family,” Jamie said, the hurt in his voice clear. Tim didn’t look up, still choking on every breath he took. “And you tried to kill us.”

“If he wanted you dead, you’d be dead,” Tim whispered, eyes shut. The shadows under his eyes were like someone had taken a sharpie to his skin without remorse, dark black. “I swear.”

“Is that supposed to make us feel better?” Cassie challenged. “Because you’re failing at that.”

“I can’t do this,” Tim muttered, turning away, clutching at his head. The Titans exchanged looks, frowns and confused expressions prominent. Tim let out another choked sob. “Oh my god, I went through this already. I can’t do this again.”

With a yell, Tim sunk his fist into the concrete wall, smashing it. A crater formed around his fist, and he braced against it, lungs heaving. “I already went through this, goddamit, fuck the world!”

He started to punch at the wall, cracking the concrete with every punch. With barely a glance, Raven dropped the shield, and Kon lunged forwards, wrapping his arms around Tim, pulling him away. Tim didn’t fight back, sagging in Kon’s arms. Kon fell to his knees, and the Titans gathered around him, eyes on the boy.

Their traitor let out a wheezing gasp. “I just wanna go home, why can’t we go home?”

Raven reached out. Her magic swirled around Tim’s head, and then vanished, sinking into his skin. His eyes slid shut, and he sagged even more in Kon’s grasp.

“Just a sleeping spell,” Raven explained softly, at Kon’s look. She felt Tim’s forehead as if checking for a fever, and her hand glowed. The aura spread to encompass all of her and all of Tim. Her eyes closed, and she stayed there for a moment. Then, she pulled her hand away, struggling to her feet. Jamie helped her up, and she let out a soft groan.

“He’s spent,” she whispered. “Terrified. And… he’s not a traitor. He cares for us, far more than he cares for Ra’s al Ghul.”

“So?” Jamie asked, looking to Cassie. “What now?”

“His emotional state is all over.” Raven continued, eyes low. “If we put too much stress on him, he could break. He needs to sleep. He needs to sort things in his head out—both of them do.”

“Both?” Vic asked as Kon stood, Tim in his arms. The boy looked tiny, helpless and fragile in his arms. “What do you mean?”

“The one who is controlling the body… he’s not our Tim,” Raven explained jerkily, unsure of how to put it into words. “Our Tim’s soul is… no. There’s a soul from another world. Another Tim. And they’ve hijacked our Tim’s body.”

“Please start making sense.” Cassie requested, and Raven sighed, managing to stand on her own. She paused, thinking of how to go about it.

“Alternate universes exist.” she settled on. “Let’s call our Tim Draken. This body is Draken’s. But the person, the spirit, if you will, currently in the driver’s seat of the body, is from another world. Draken is in the passenger’s seat.”

“This isn’t our Tim?”

“Two souls,” Raven said tiredly. “And one of them has done the entire Red X ‘fiasco’ as he put it already, and would like everyone to 'shut up because no, I’m not evil’.”

“We have to take them to the Justice League,” Vic said flatly, trying to tamp down on his emotional state. “Dumas and Damian al Ghul are high on the list of enemies, and the girl is dangerous. We can’t hope to keep them here.”


	4. Chapter 4

_“So,” Draken said. They were in a white space. Nothing else was there. Just white. “Guess you’re here with me then.”_

_“Not for long.” Red Robin, dressed as Red X, minus the headgear, turned and started to walk. Draken, in his brown and dark grey uniform, started after him, keeping up, staying a few paces behind._

_“You can’t just walk out of here.”_

_“Watch me.”_

_“Trust me, I’ve tried.”_

_Red turned and glared at the boy, the two of them face to face. He had to look slightly up to meet Draken’s eyes, and he narrowed his eyes. Then he tore himself away, continuing to walk. He would have been storming away, had he been more dramatic._

_“Why am I taller than you?” Draken wondered dully. “Aren’t we the same?”_

_“No,” Red said, almost vaguely. “I’ve been poisoned, tortured, hit in the head, etc, etc, since I was eleven. I’d imagine it stunted my growth. Although, you were trained by Slade, so I’d assume you’d be enhanced in some way as well.”_

_"Wonderful. Are you going to leave soon?”_

_Red ignored Draken, just walking across the white plane of nothing._

_“There has to be a way out.” he mused. “Something.”_

_“There isn’t!” Draken yelled. “I’ve been in here for ages! There’s no way out! Are you even listening to me?”_

_He lunged for Red, grabbing his shoulder. Red spun, and brought his leg up, kicking Draken square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Draken groaned, and rolled to his feet, adopting a fighting stance._

_“I will fight you.”_

_“There is a difference then.” Red mused, sinking into a stance. “You pick fights. I create the fight.”_

_“I see no difference.”_

_“Add another number to the board then,” Red said, lunging forwards. Their styles were different. Draken had learned from his world’s Flamebird and Deathstroke, both of whom were heavily influenced by army-style combat. Red had grown up with an acrobat for a brother, learning crazy things from him, and being lighter on his feet. It was a heavy, boxing-like style pitted against a more fluid, airborne one. Red landed more hits, but Draken’s were harder, and he made them count._

_“You ruined the entire plan!” Draken shouted, slamming his leg into Red’s stomach. The shorter boy hit the ground, hands at his sides. He kicked up and into a handstand, landing on his feet, almost hitting Draken as he went._

_Red launched a spinning kick that connected, and threw himself on Draken, pinning him. “You have no idea what you had. This charade? Red X? It’s going to destroy you. They’ll never forgive you.”_

_“If it’s a charade, why are you dressed as him, even here?” Draken snapped, squirming to try and free himself. Red flinched but didn’t answer._

_“Maybe figure out your problems before telling me what I’m doing wrong, Red X.”_

_And with that, Red Robin was thrown out of his head._


	5. Chapter 5

Tim woke up with a groan of pain. Well, it wasn’t like waking up, exactly. It felt like a weight was pushing him down, and he recognized the sensation as him being drugged by magic.

Someone was supporting him. He was on the ground, laying back against their chest, one of their arms around him. Struggling to keep his thoughts in order, he started to take note of his surroundings. Beside him, Cass knelt, still dressed in her stolen clothes. Damian was on the ground, eyes closed, breathing heavily.

So Jason was supporting him.

They were in a sort of dome, a lot like the one Raven had trapped him in. But it was a Green Lantern construct, and they were in the middle of a Justice League meeting, people gathered around them on all sides. They seemed to be arguing, and Tim spotted Harper, standing near the stairs, fiddling with her bowstring, and staring at him. It would have been a rookie mistake, except everyone else in the room was also staring at them.

“Hey, you awake?”

Tim nodded dully. “Wha’s happenin’?”

“Raven knocked you out,” Jason whispered, lowering his head to be closer to Tim’s ear. “We think. You should have woken up ages ago, even with your lack of sleep. How are you feeling?”

“Lik’ sh’t.”

“No surprise there. We gotta get out of here.” Jason steeled himself, eyes roaming over the Justice League. Beside him, Tim let out a noise that could be translated to ‘don’t do it’ or 'give me coffee’. Jason ignored both, leaning his younger brother onto Cass, who wrapped her arms around him, giving him a protective hug. “Watch him.”

Cass blinked at Jason quietly, and nodded, leaning back so she could put a hand on Damian’s chest as well. The smallest of their group immediately latched onto her wrist, fingers gripping it as tight as he could. “Orphan…”

“Shhh.” Cass soothed, as Jason rose to his full height, and reached up, removing his helmet. “We are okay. You will breathe soon.”

Jason stepped over to the wall of the barrier and gripped his helmet in his fist. His hair fell loose around him, the white streak as clear as blood against snow, contrasting the dark red that was his natural colour. As the League debated what to do with the four assassins, Jason slammed the helmet against the constructs wall, the noise filling the room, a banging, crashing sound that echoed around the space, silencing everyone as they turned to face the source.

Jason slammed his fist into the wall again, the helmet’s metal starting to dent. Then again.

"Hood.” Damian rasped, coughing, barely able to look up. “Stop.”

“Sorry, Robin,” Jason said, still punching the wall. “But I can’t let you die.”

He smashed the construct again, and cracks started to form where he’d been hitting. His helmet was changing shape from the impacts. Jason didn’t care. A second Green Lantern stepped up, his ring glowing, and the barrier repaired itself, as small murmurs ran through the League’s ranks. Jason gritted his teeth. There was no way he was about to back down anymore. He’d grown up in Gotham; they were the most stubborn fucking people on the planet. He’d died, and come back to life without help from anyone. He’d gotten All-Blades. He’d worked for every single thing he’d ever gotten in life. He’d worked for every skill, every ability. He hadn’t gotten a fast-pass to become a hero like Silver Beetle or the Flash or Supergirl had. He’d worked at it, for years. And he was not about to be beaten by a pair of guys in green who had magic rings.

Kyle might be his friend back home, but this was not the Kyle Jason knew.

Jason discarded his helmet and summoned his All-Blades. Someone gasped.

“All Caste.”

“No shit.” Jason snarled and stabbed both of his weapons into the wall. They cut through it, and slowly, Jason started to slide through the barrier. It was like moving in slow-motion, the effort immense, but he was doing it.

Then, seemingly instantly, the barrier vanished, and Jason stumbled, regaining his footing a moment later, both swords at the ready. Behind him, Cass let out a soft exhale that held pride and wonder in it.

“Don’t even say it.” Harper Row said, smirking at her brother, and shifting from her previous position, into a more relaxed one. “Because you so owe me one now, Jay.”

* * *

“Whoop!”

The yell came from above, and several Leaguers automatically looked up at the sound, pulled from their shock. The shout came from a girl, who dropped from the ceiling, plummeting straight down. She landed on one of the Shazam’s shoulders, who was floating halfway up to the ceiling and flipped off, landing on Diana’s back instead.

She wrapped her legs around the Amazon’s neck, and locked her ankles, before she threw her weight back, arms outstretched, landing on her hands, and flipping away and up to her feet, Diana barely keeping her balance.

“Haha!” the girl cried, an expression of absolute joy on her face, a smile that could light up a city worn on her lips. She looked normal. Blond hair tied back in a messy bun. A dark purple windbreaker, and blue jeans, with silver light-up running shoes. “Take that, Wondie!”

“Wondie?” Harper asked, tone communicating how unimpressed she was by the insult. The girl beamed, practically vibrating with energy as she nodded.

“So!” she yelled, bouncing on her toes. “I’m Stephanie fucking Brown! You will call me Spoiler!”

“You’re Howler.” Cheshire deduced. “The Gotham villain.”

Stephanie held up a finger, in a ‘shut it’ gesture. “I’m talking! You’re not!”

“Oh my god.” Dumas groaned, the fiery swords still in his hands. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Saving you!” Stephanie retorted. “So, up it!”

“That doesn’t even make sense Stephanie, what are you—”

“Jason! I’m talking!”

Jason sighed, and took two steps back, sinking into a defensive stance. “Red, you good to get goin’?”

Tim, with help from the girl, nodded, managing to stand. She stepped away, pulling Damian al Ghul onto her back. Damian locked his arms around her shoulders as Tim spoke. “I can manage. Robin’s the one to watch.”

“I got a plan for that!” Stephanie shouted, and Harper snorted, realizing why nobody had attacked the girl yet. Stephanie was doing something so insanely stupid, no reasonable person would ever even consider it. The League’s brains were short-circuiting, unable to understand why this C-rate villain would drop into their base, and declare that she had a plan. “I am going to fight one of you! I pick who! And I will win! If I win—which I will!—you will let my family go in peace, and pretend this never happened. But, if somehow, my opponent wins, then, you get two new hostages! Me, and Bluebird!”

“They think I’m Blue Arrow,” Harper said, trying to tamp down on her amusement.

“Me and Blue Arrow!” Stephanie amended. “Gotcha?”

“What the actual fuck.” Tim said, sounding so confused. “Stephanie… just what the fuck?”

“What did you expect from your twin?” Harper asked, notching an arrow on her string. Nobody had realized ‘oh, she’s with the evil people’ yet, so she was going to press that advantage as much as she could. “She hit you in the face with a brick when you met.”

Stephanie blushed. “That was a long time ago. And I pick Wonder Woman!”

“You want to fight Diana?” Kon-El asked, sounding as confused as Tim had, if not more. “Why Diana? And you can’t even beat Blue Arrow, how could you beat Diana?”

“Shut it, tightey pants!” Stephanie snapped, still bouncing from foot to foot. “So, whatcha say, Princess? Fight me?”

Diana looked at her husband, who gave a small shrug. She took a breath, and stepped forwards, drawing her sword. “Clear a space. Let her… allies come forwards.”

People drew back, clearing an oval of space in the middle of the room. Jason, the girl, Damian, and Tim carefully made their way to the edge, gathering just inside the ring. Harper joined them, kneeling beside the girl, and starting to take off her gear.

“My second’s Jason Peter Todd.” Stephanie declared, removing her jacket, and handing it to the girl. “If I fall and cannot recover, he will take my place. Likewise, if someone interferes with the match in my opponent’s favour, he will be allowed to participate so we can even the odds. Who is your second?”

“Donna Troy.” Diana chose, after only a moment of deliberation. She spun her sword around. “Do you choose a weapon?”

“Harps?”

“Electric sword, coming right up,” Harper said, tossing a small object to the blond. Stephanie held her hand up behind her, catching it without looking. She took several paces forwards, and held the object before her, flicking her wrist to the side.

A blade, straight and single-bladed, swung out of the hilt, like Cheshire’s chosen weapon. Stephanie clicked something, and blue light danced over it. With a smile, she turned the power off and took a stance. Diana twirled her sword around her hand, studying the girl.

It looked like an unfair fight.

It was.


	6. Chapter 6

Stephanie charged first, as fights between mere mortals and warriors such as Diana usually went. She twirled her blade underhand, and Diana deflected it to the side. Stephanie spun with the weapon, flipping sideways, and swiping at Diana’s feet, in a low crouch.

The Amazon fell with the movement, unwilling to let the girl’s leg shatter, but before she could rise, Stephanie was on her—kissing her?

“Oh my fucking god,” Harper whispered, almost laughing. “That lucky little asshole!”

Diana came to her senses only moments later, grabbing Stephanie by the sleeves of her tank top and throwing her aside. The girl let out a scream of surprise, trying to orient herself in midair. She skidded backwards, rolling clumsily on her landing, panting hard.

“What?” she called, gasping for air, breathless from her hidden laughter and the impact. “Don’t like girls?”

Diana glared at her, then realized exactly what Stephanie had done. The girl smirked, and held up Diana’s blade, before she dropped it on the ground, and kicked it towards her second, who stopped it by clamping a foot down on it. Stephanie smirked at Diana.

“You were born with your powers. I was born a human. And yet, I think I can beat you. Do you want to know why?”

Stephanie charged, sprinting forwards. Diana shifted her stance, ready to take the hit, but halfway through the attack, Stephanie lunged and threw the sword like it was a spear, sending it flying towards Diana. The Amazon deflected the blade to the side, and Stephanie let out a shout. She’d made up the remaining distance while the warrior was distracted, and she jumped, kicking out with both feet, going horizontal.

She flipped backwards, holding onto her knees and landing in a Spider-Man crouch, smirking. Without hesitating, she flipped back again, launching herself into a back handspring, nearly clocking Diana across the jaw with one foot.

So it went. Stephanie used everything at her disposal. She pulled Diana’s hair, kicked off her face into a series of acrobatic tricks, did the splits to avoid getting hit, taunted and teased and faked her moves. She couldn’t win in a battle of power, so she used speed instead.

* * *

Diana kicked her across the room.

* * *

Stephanie took a knee to the gut.

* * *

Her punch was blocked, and she was sent to the floor.

* * *

“Gah,” Stephanie whispered, starting to push herself up. Some of her hair had fallen out of its bun and was sticking to her face with sweat. Harper had taken to standing, looking like she wanted to pace. Tim was tense, tugging at his uniform, while the unnamed girl simply stood there, Damian al Ghul on her back. Jason gritted his teeth.

“Fuck.” he whispered. He glanced at the unnamed girl. “She can’t win. What’s she playing at?”

“You know.” the unnamed girl answered plainly. “Is Stephanie.”

She made a ‘crazy’ gesture, twirling her finger around her ear. Jason snorted. “Shit. Blondie’s got guts.”

“Blondie can hear you,” Stephanie grunted, from where she still lay on the floor, stomach down.

Diana put a foot on the girls back, and pushed, sending her down again, before she could even get off the ground. “You cannot win.”

Stephanie coughed, turning her head so she could see Diana out of the corner of her eye. “I knew that, coming in.”

“Then why do you fight?”

“I’m from Gotham.” Stephanie wheezed, voice raspy. “We’re the most stubborn people on this planet. But that’s not why I’m fighting.”

“Surrender.”

“Steph,” Tim called, eyes betraying his inner thoughts. “You can’t keep this up.”

“Watch me.” she rasped, reaching towards her allies with one hand. “Jace.”

He kicked the sword that she’d gotten from Diana earlier towards her, and Diana let Stephanie wrap her fingers around it. Stephanie tried to push back against Diana’s strength. The Amazon stepped back, letting the girl stand. She looked terrible. Her lip was split. A bruise was forming around her eye. Her clothes stuck to her, sweat darkening the fabrics.

She took a few, wavering steps back, shoes lighting up with each one. One hand held her ribs, while the other held the sword out before her. Each of the girl’s breaths rasped, catching in her throat.

“I’ll tell you why I came here. Why I challenged you,” she said, widening her stance. Diana didn’t move, not willing to beat the girl down once again, at least not yet. And maybe she was curious about the blonde’s words. “I came here for my family. Just like they would have for me. And—and maybe I’m not the best suited to saving them. Because Jay can control a city and Tim can hack anything and Cass can read body language and Dami’s crazy talented, and Harper can outmatch a Lantern when it comes to willpower.”

Her voice broke. “I came here anyway. Just a girl who got in the biz because her dad was horrible and she was lucky enough to hit a hero with a brick. I don’t know what that says about me. But I’m not going to let you lock them up. You stand by family. The good family, because they’re worth it. It’s worth the pain and the violence and the hate.”

“Stephanie,” Jason said softly, taking a step forward. “Stand down, you’re about to collapse.”

“I can’t!” she shouted, tears bubbling up in her eyes. “I can’t anymore than you can! You know it, Jay, I’m just like you guys. I’m just as stupid as the rest of you. I can’t back down. I started this fight. I gotta end it.”

She drew in a ragged breath and dropped the hand holding her side to the sword hilt. She lunged at Diana, stabbing forwards. It was a worthless attempt. There was barely any force behind the jab, it was telegraphed clearly, and even if it hadn’t, the blade would have been avoided by Diana. Even if the stabbing was a better way to hurt the Amazon then blunt force.

As it was, the Amazon sidestepped, and grabbed Stephanie’s wrist, applying pressure. The sword fell from her grip, but Stephanie smirked, all too pleased with herself.

“I was _also_ stalling.”

* * *

There was an explosion from the far end of the room, and the two doors flew open, revealing a woman. She wore a red leather jacket and her hair was shaved into a fauxhawk style. A pair of black jeans and combat boots topped off the look. She grinned at everyone, a gun in each hand. Beside her, a man in similar gear stood, a pair of brass knuckles on each hand, an angry expression on his face.

From the ceiling, two figures dropped, landing in the middle of the room, and moving to be back to back, weapons raised. A Talon, with a pair of escrima sticks, and a red-haired woman they all recognized. Agent 36. Well, not recognized, since her face was a swirling blur, but it was fairly easy to guess.

“Gray Son?” Damian al Ghul rasped, lifting his head. The Talon gave a single, sharp nod.

“Bruce Wayne,” Kal-El growled, starting to rise into the air and move towards the man and woman. The woman stepped before the man, holding up one gun. She spoke loudly, and clearly, her voice familiar to everyone in the room.

“The first three bullets in this gun are laced with pure kryptonite,” she announced, not wavering as she outlined her threat. “The next two are magic, able to break through just about any power you might have. They seek their targets. Endlessly. There are three Kryptonians here. I am a crack shot and can take out five of your heavy hitters within five seconds. They’d be dead.

“Don’t believe me?”

The man behind her held up his fist for everyone to see, opening it to reveal a small glowing green shard.

Everyone froze.

“What do you want?” White Canary asked, holding her staff at her side. Flamebird smirked.

“Wonder Woman. Let go of Spoiler. Now.”

With her husband’s life under threat, Diana released the girl, who stumbled backwards, grabbing the electrified weapon off the ground. She was met by the other members of her group, along with Gray Son, the deadliest of all Talons, a high profile assassin who, single-handedly, had taken out the Council of Spiders in a night, and Agent 36, one of Spyral’s workers. Who’d joined the League, only to go MIA. The group gathered in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder.

“You betrayed us.” Troia challenged.

“No.” Flamebird replied. For once, she had no mask on. Nothing to hide who she was. “I stand by my family.”

“You’re related to them‽” Miss Martian cried, rising into the air alongside her boyfriend.

“Cousins.” Flamebird tilted her head towards Bruce Wayne, then the kids. “They’re my adopted nieces and nephews. And my actual nephew, he’d be the one who’s dying right now.”

“And her friend.” Agent 36 added calmly. “We’re walking out of here. Or, you can say good-bye to Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent, Conner Kent, Zatanna Zatara, and oh, who else? Jason, want to pick someone?”

“Sure,” Jason replied. “Let’s go with… Oliver Queen.”

The name drops were enough to freeze the League in place, again, before they even started moving once more. Gray Son, face hidden by goggles and mask, twirled his weapons, then gave one to Harper, and one to the unnamed girl. His claws glinted as he lifted them, moving into a defensive stance.

“Alright.” Flamebird smirked. “Now we’re talking. Although, not for long. O. Mind taking us out?”

“Already on it.” Agent 36 said, giving a sharp nod, and furrowing her brows. “Hold on!”

With a strange, shimmering mirage-like effect, every single one of them vanished.


End file.
